‘Every Record Means Something’

Reigning MVP Adrian Peterson has Eric Dickerson in his sights for this season—and beyond that, he’s coming for Emmitt Smith

1. I think 2,500 rushing yards is a goal. I’ll always try to push myself. I think it’s realistic, and it can happen without a team just focusing on the run. You just have to maximize your opportunities every Sunday—don’t let any week go to waste. But it’s a team goal, not just my goal.

2. I think the one thing I’ll always remember from the field last year happened in Detroit, early in the season. One of the linebackers came up to me—I don’t want to say who it was—and he said, “Adrian, what are you taking? What juice you using? I gotta get me some of that.” I said, “I’m juicing on the blood of Jesus. Faith is what got me to to this point.” So the Lions came to Minnesota later in the season. That same linebacker came to me and said: “I appreciate you saying that. You opened my eyes.” That was pretty cool.

3. I think what was missed late last season, with people focusing so much on me breaking the record—and I wanted to break it too, of course—was what was the most important thing for me: That’s coming back and playing better than ever. Coming back and playing football at a high level after what I went through with my surgery—that’s the real accomplishment of 2012.

4. I think I’d by lying if I said I didn’t want the all-time record for rushing in a season. I do. I will break it eventually. I’ll be able to get that, without a problem.

5. I think, to be honest with you, I was confident the voters would get the MVP vote right. Peyton Manning’s a great player, but coming back from the injury and doing what I did, I think I earned it.

6. I think, though I haven’t been asked by him, my advice to Robert Griffin III coming back from his knee surgery would be: “Be smart. Go out, play, don’t think about it, be strong.”

7. I think Emmitt Smith’s records means something to me. [Peterson, 28, has 8,849 rushing yards. He is 9,507 yards shy of breaking Smith’s all-time mark.] Every record means something. I’m not too focused on it, but as a running back, of course that’s something you want to achieve. It’s something, if God’s willing, being around a great group of guys like this, I can capture that.

9. I think, when I’m retired, I want to lay back and make money while I sleep. If I want to get involved, I can do that. But I want to set up a business that becomes a fine-tuned machine that can make money while I relax.

10. I think the joy of football, to me, is to be able to do something I love while . . . When I think about it, it’s a way for me to vent while doing something I love. That’s hard to describe, but while I’m running, everything comes out. It’s great to be able to do something I love, that I’m passionate about, that makes me the person that I am. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to do the thing you love as your work.

OFF AND RUNNING Peterson bared almost all for an SI photo shoot last December. (Simon Bruty/SI)

OPEN WIDE Hitting the hole against the Redskins last October. (Carlos M. Saavedra/SI)

Adrian Peterson is a beast. However, I doubt he will come close to Emmitt's record. Mainly because RB's decline pretty fast once they become 30. He is less than halfway there and only has a few really prime years left.

The rules for offense have changed so much that AP will be allowed to break the records. Only something like 2 penalties result in loss of down anymore vs. so many penalties on defense resulting in an automatic first down. The evolution of rules in this game has watered down the existing records and will continue to do so even after AP is gone.

Juice is Jesus, ROTFL HGH and everything else you can get out of your system in less than 12 hours. NFL players are not the best football players in the country....just the biggest cheaters playing football in the country.

It's one thing to have personal goals in a season (tackles, yardage, All-Pro), it's quite another to set certain sights on such lofty attainment as Dickerson's mark and believe it will not detract somewhat from the team effort. Couching it in terms like, "it's team goal, not just my goal" doesn't sell it any better.

One key to Minnesota's offense in '13, and to dethrone Green Bay in the North, is Christian Ponder's maturation in ability to matriculate with regularity and score often in the red zone. Vikes have tremendous talent at some key positions on both sides but their nemesis to the East can only smile in hope that Leslie Frazier's offense might remain one-dimensional and geared largely towards getting Adrian Peterson the ball while their own guys take another division crown.

Jim Brown may've been last RB to carry his team to NFL title ('64?). Other record-setting (seeking?) greats have all fallen noticably short (Dickerson / Simpson / Lewis). Keep your eyes on the prize, Adrian, that NFL championship. The rest is gravy.

Adrian Peterson is the greatest active running back. There is no debate. He's established himself as such with his great six season career. He's only missed seven games in his entire career.

...in that six season career, he's only rushed for 8849 yards. Basically, he'd need to continue to have the career of the best running back in the NFL through his age 28 through 35 seasons, without sustaining any serious injuries that eat into playing time, in order to break it; or else perhaps continue as an effective running back into his 40s.

To average 138 yds/wk is entirely possible if you're AD. some people are just built differant.. emmitt played pro for what 15 yrs and took 10's of thousands of hits during his life...and the man was still nimble enough to win dancing with the stars.he isnt limping around like say earl cambell or some other ex-nfl'ers. Just built differant.AD is special, I can still remember the 1st time I saw him run at OK, I knew that guy was differant. could'nt believe he there were SIX dudes chosen in front of him in the draft. HOW?

If anyone has the right to talk about themselves it's AP. He's not egotistical he backs up every single thing he says. He's always been a team first type of player so why can't he be proud of the things he's done so far I mean hell he's the greatest running back currently playing and pushing for the greatest ever title. As a muscular guy when I wear a beater it's "why are you showing off" vs a non muscular guy wearing one no one says anything. Haters gonna hate I guess. AP keep running hard and go for the goals you want and let the haters hate but most importantly keep running for the Vikings cuz you're all we got.

@SC76 Penalty's don't add yards to stats. If he has a 3 yard run and there's a 10 yard penalty added on, it's not considered a 13 yard run. If anything is watered down it's passing and receiving stats. I would argue that it's becoming more difficult for RB's with new rules like "using the crown of your helmet".

@oxfordhuntsville Let me put this in perspective. Cy Young has 511 career wins. Roy Halladay and CC Sabathia both have 200 wins. You could say they are the ONLY men on Earth who could break the record. However, that doesn't make it any more likely to happen. You see, Roy and CC aren't even halfway there yet. The same for Adrian Peterson. He is less than half way to Emmitt Smith's mark. Think about that for a moment. Emmitt Smith's mark, like Cy Young's will never be surpassed, under the current and accepted format of NFL football. Someday they might change to all out flag football, or seven on seven. But in the current format of tackle football, it ain't happening.

@KeysSteven since you are clueless Emmitt Smithwas the first to be the rushing champ, league MVP & Super Bowl MVP all in the same year & later Terrell Davis accomplished that feat. Sadly Jim Brown quit & never played in a Sb & only played in 4 post season games & did nothing in his other 3 games & where has AP carried the Vikes?

@jason2 Hermes is all about rushing records. Zeus is more a win/loss guy in the mold of Lombardi. Ares just wants to watch people get the crap knocked out of them. Jesus, I heard he's claiming to be misquoted on the whole "son of god" thing.